Photographer s chair



' fihi/gru?? @WMA (No Model.)

J. H. SMITH..

PHOTOGRAPHERS CHAI-R.

Patented Deo. 14, V1886.

N. PETERS. Pnmo-mhugnpbm, wanhlnglan, D C.

' UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

JAMEs IIjsiIrrH, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PHOTOGRAPHERS CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,259, dated December 14, 1886.

Application tiled March 26, 1886.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographers Chairs, of which the following, in connection with thev accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The purpose of my invention is to improve that class of chairs usually employed in photographers studios for' the purpose of posing people in a sitting position in front of the camera.

My principal aim is to provide improved means for properly and comfortably supporting the back of the occupant of the chair. I also aim to improve the construction and'operation of some ot' the clamps or fastenings for rendering certain parts ot' the chair adjustable, all of which will be hereinafter fully eX- plained.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side view of a cha-ir embodying my improvements, a part of the curved rail forming the back and arms being broken away to illustrate some features of construction which would not otherwise be shown. Fig. 2 is alike representation, showing the said curved rail removed and the baclc support applied in its stead. Fig. 3 is a detail, the same showing the back portion of the means employed for connecting either the back-support or the curved rail in adjustable connection with the chair'seat. Fig. 4 is a detail, the same being'a side view of the iron or plate which is applied to the curved rail to admit of its being applied removably to its support. Fig. 5 represent-s the parts shown in Fig. 4 when viewed in the direction indidated by the arrow shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a side view of the means employed for connecting the support for the curved rail adjustably to the seat. Fig. 7 is a section in the plane of the line x x of Fig. 6, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow there shown; and Fig. 8 is a section in the plane of the line y y of Fig. 2.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

The chair, in the example which I have selected for illust-rating my improvements, has four branching or diverging legs, c a, meeting in or branching from a common center, a',

Serial No. 196,674. (No model.)

at its central portion to the upper end of the screw A.

The chair so far as thus described is not new with me. v

C is a plate or bor:w applied to the seat B.

For the purpose of applying to the chair an adjustable back-support which may be raised and lowered, I attach rigidly to the chair-seat a horizontal plate or arm, b, Fig. 6, to which is attached a hollow vertical part or box, C, having a front plate, b', and sides or iianges b b, all of which are preferably cast in one piece.

C is a loose or removable back plate, which is attached to the front side, b, of the box C by means of a handserew, D, Fig. 6 and 7.

At the upper and lower ends of the ianges b" b, I provide extensions or projections c c,

of about the thickness of the plate C', which are adapted to fit loosely into corresponding notches cut from said plaie, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, whereby said plate is retained in its proper position in alignment with the edges of the box C. Upon tightening the handscrew D, which passes into a screw-hole inthe plate b', and is provided with a shoulder, D', the plate C is clamped rmly against a verticallyadjustable support, E, to which the curved arm-rail I or head-rest J, as the case Inay be, is detachably secured, and which support may be raised or lowered at will by means of said screw. This support Fi, I make, by preference, of wood. It consists of two parallel vertical arms, c e, in junction at their lower ends, as is clearlyshown in Fig. 3. The part E is of such size as to tit neatlyin the box G, but loosely enough to be moved vertically therein with facility. It should also be made somewhat thicker from front to rear than the width of the iianges b', so that the plate C-- .N fh...

F is a bolt passing through the upper ends of the arms e e, and G is a hand-nut run upon said bolt.

H is a plate applied rigidly to the central part of the curved rail I. This plate consists of a vertical part, f, havinga deep notch, h, in the lower edge, and having along its edges, on both sides or faces thereof, lateral ribs or ridgesz' t. It also has thereon, at its upper end, lateral or horizontal wings or flanges j j, to adapt it to be secured to the rail I by means of screws or other fastenings.

J is a rest for supporting the back of theoccupant of the chair, and K K are two parallel arms or bars extending rearwardly from the said rest, and rigidly attached thereto in any suitable way.

L is a cam.

M is a fixed nut on the screw A. This nut has a cam-formed lower face resting on the upper -face of the said cam. One or more armsJ k,project from the said cam, and It is a pin depending from the said nut into a hole, Z, to prevent said nut from turning.

I employ the cam L and the nut M for preventing the chair-seat from being accidentally rotated after it has once been set as desired.

In order to adjust the seat B vertically, I turn it in the us'ual manner, rst turning the camL ou its axis, so that the said nut will not bind upon the screw A. After the seat has been adjusted I turn the cam L in such a direction that it will cause the nut M to bind upon the said screw, or operate as a jam-nut, after which the seat B will be held firmly in its place. It will only be necessary for the cam L to be capable of being turned slightly, as there is a considerable difference between the inclination or pitch of the cani and the screw-thread 011 the screw A.

' The operations of the different parts in the respects in which the same have not already been described are as follows: To apply the rail I to its support, I arrange the plate H between the upper ends of the arms e e. The slot h permits the said plate to pass down somewhat beyond the bolt F, and the ribs i i, by overlapping the said arm, prevent any tilting movement of the said plate. To clamp the plate H (and consequently the rail I) firmly in place, I turn the nut G in against the arm e next thereto,'thus clamping the said Aarms upon the said plate with sufficient force to prevent the accidental detachment of the rail Ifrom its sup ort, it being understood that the arms e e are somewhat flexible, pliable, or yielding under the pressure exerted by the said nut. The rail I, however, may be readily removed by simply loosening the said nut. To apply the rest J, I remove the rail I in theamanner now suggested, and then slip the arms K K in between the arms e e, so that they will embrace the bolt F. I then clamp the arms K K as I would against the plate H, by turning the nut G in the manner already described. It will now be perceived, particularly on reference to Fig. 2, that the rest J may be arranged and rmly clamped in a more or less inclined-position, and also adjusted to a position more or less `distant from its support with facility.

Either the rail I or the rest J may be adj usted vertically by simply loosening the screw D sufficiently to allow the support E to be moved either up or down in the box C, it being understood that the collar D bears against the plate C, which in turn bears against the support E, thus clamping the latter firmly wherever it may be set or adjusted. The said support, by being square, prevents it from being turned in its box or clamp. The plate C', by interlocking with the sides b b in the manner described, is prevented from being turned when the screw D is turned, and the said plate is movable slightly toward and from the part E, either to clamp or release it, without loosening that engagement.

It will be perceived from the foregoing description, and on reference to the drawings, that the curved rail I may be applied and re moved with facility to its support E, and that the clamp upon the upper end of the support E is adapted, without a change. of structure, also to clamp the Iarms of the rest J, so that the latter may with facility be adjusted in various positions. It will also be perceived that the support E may be adjusted vertically, and that the means employed therefor are simple `in construction and operation.

yI am familiar with Patents Nos. 301,876 and 326,184, and I make no claim to any part of the construction shown in either.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the verticallyndj ustable bifurcated support E, having hand-screw G, with the arm-rest I, having slotted plate H, and head-rest J, having slotted plate K, the slots of said plates being open at the ends, whereby said arm and head-rest, respectively, are rendered interchangeably adjustable with the support E, substantially as and for the pur poses set forth. l

2. The combination, in a photographer-s chair, of the support E, consisting of the parallel arms e e, the box C, having a movable back piece, O,and the screw D, having thereon a collar, D', and passing through screw-holes in the said back piece and in the said box, respectively, substantially as and for the purposes specified. Y

3. The combination, in a photographer-s chair, of the usual seat-screw for adjusting the height of the chair, a screw-threaded socket attached to the chair-support for the reception of said seat screw, a supplemental screwthreaded socket, one face of which is oblique to its axis, with means for preventing the same from rotating, anda loosely-interposed washer having a cam-shaped face conforming to that ICO IIO

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 1o my own I hereunto affix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H, sMrrH.

Vituesses:

F. F. WARNER, HENRY FRANKFURTER. 

